Portico Project: The Exchange

 

Centaur Theatre 2021

Centaur Theatre Company Presents the Portico Project production of  THE EXCHANGE  September 23 - October 2, 2021 Sponsored by the Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation

Co-created & directed by Julie Tamiko Manning Co-created & designed by Nalo Soyini Bruce and Eo Sharp Dramaturgical support by Rose Plotek Stage Manager Trevor Barrette Creative contributors & performers Maryline CHERY | Corrina HODGSON | Sandra KADOWAKI Ainsley McNEANEY | Kayin QUEELEY The Exchange performances are FREE - 20 minutes - and presented twice per evening at 5:30pm and 7pm, Thursdays through Saturdays. Space is limited therefore audiences are encouraged to reserve by phone (514-288-3161) or ONLINE.

Centaur Theatre’s outdoor event, Portico Project, returns for its second year with a new commissioned work developed by the event’s inaugural curators: Julie Tamiko Manning, Eo Sharp and Nalo Soyini Bruce. They were given ‘carte blanche’ by Centaur’s Artistic and Executive Director, Eda Holmes, to create a new interdisciplinary piece for the steps of the theatre, which the trio dubbed The Exchange.  Referencing Centaur’s Montreal Stock Exchange origins, The Exchange features five performers with a wide range of artistic skills. They include Maryline Chery (actor, theatre creator and improviser of Haitian descent); Corrina Hodgson (award-winning Queer playwright and disability advocate); Sandra Kadowaki (Japanese Canadian percussionist and composer); Kayin Queeley (Afro-Caribbean educator and founder of Montreal Steppers); and Ainsley McNeaney (multi-faceted musician, composer and singer/songwriter). In The Exchange, a small group of travelers encounter a theatre performer who seems paralyzed … an empty statue. They resolve to awaken the actor from the fundamental limitations of their discipline to see the myriad creative possibilities available. Challenging the theatrical norm of written text and making full use of the unique setting, the exchanges between the travelers and the actor take shape through spontaneous movement, sound, and music in an exciting and powerful 20-minute work that explores various aspects of theatre invention and performance, from the process of how a new work is born and where it is presented to who is on stage and who is watching.  “The driving goal in this endeavour was to ensure performers and patrons go home feeling they have gained something valuable from their experience”, said director Julie Tamiko Manning.  “There’s a certain inaccessibility that conventional theatres have, which can sometimes get in the way of that happening. It’s definitely changing, which is great, but it’s so ingrained in the system we often can’t see that there are other ways to make theatre. We forget that we can question our methods. It begins with something as basic as the universally-accepted assumption that we start with a written script but language can be a barrier too. We wanted to unpack ‘exchange’, because of Centaur’s history with the word, but also draw from an extraordinary rehearsal I had with another drummer, working on a previous project. We realized we were conversing in another language, one that sprang from a deeply spiritual place—rooted in cultural complexity—that words could never have fully expressed. With The Exchange, we wanted to investigate and flesh out how artists can create within a new rehearsal paradigm, how stage characters communicate with each other in performance, and how the performers connect with the space. We’re so grateful to Centaur for the gift of complete autonomy in this undertaking and for its unwavering faith in us.”

“So much has happened in the last year and a half that has prompted us to question how we live in the world. Is it possible to imagine better systems based on respect and understanding that encourage us to build a more fluid, responsive society? Centaur is very proud to support these incredibly talented artists as they probe these vital issues within the theatre realm. By investigating and implementing a different artistic approach, they help us to envision new ways to look at our relationships and our world. I’m so excited for people to immerse themselves in The Exchange!” - Eda Holmes, Centaur’s Artistic and Executive Director.

Vancouver’s Boca del Lupo is partnering with Centaur again this year with another fun, immersive theatre activity: Plays2Perform@Home. Teaming up with theatre companies and playwrights from across Canada, Boca del Lupo has created five box sets that enable everyone to take leading roles in short, newly created plays with friends and family around the dinner table, picnic blanket, or campfire. The Quebec contributors are local playwrights Marie Barlizo, Michaela Di Cesare, Gabe Maharjan and Adjani Poirier. The Quebec box set will be available for purchase at the Portico Project events for $30. The Western, Prairie, Ontario, and Eastern box sets can each be ordered through Boca del Lupos’ website for the same price and the complete national collection is available for $125.  Vaccination passports are not required; all audience members must wear a mask for the duration of the performances that will be socially distanced.

The Portico Project is once again sponsored by the Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation, and the Société de développement commercial du Vieux-Montréal stepped up as a supporter this year. Thank you both for your confidence; we couldn’t do it without you!

The Portico Ad-Hoc engages under the terms of the Indie 2.2; professional artists who are members of the Canadian Actors' Equity Association. For more information about this event visit this webpage. For more information about Centaur Theatre visit the Centaur Theatre website.